Key facts
- The European Commission proposed five major cross-border defense projects.
- These projects are designated as European Defence Projects of Common Interest (EDPCI).
- The initiatives aim to boost innovation and the European defense industrial base's competitiveness.
- An initial budget of €325 million is allocated for the EDPCIs.
- Under the EDIRPA initiative, €300 million is allocated, with individual projects receiving €60 million.
- The EDIRPA projects focus on air and missile defence, armoured vehicles, and ammunition.
The European Commission has put forward five significant cross-border defense initiatives, aiming to foster innovation and enhance the competitiveness of the European defense industrial base. These projects, designated as European Defence Projects of Common Interest (EDPCI), are designed to reduce market fragmentation and are eligible for EU funding.
Presented on Friday, the five projects focus on drones and counter-drone systems, maritime and seabed defence, space, air power and missile defence, with special emphasis on bolstering the continent's eastern flank. The Commission has allocated €325 million to support the establishment and deployment of these projects, with 18 member states participating in all of them and Ukraine participating in four.
This announcement follows renewed warnings from the European Defence Agency (EDA) that member states continue to procure military equipment largely on their own rather than collaboratively. Collaborative procurement accounted for just 24 percent of defence investment in 2025, according to the EDA, which noted that national approaches still dominate procurement decisions and equipment acquisition cycles remain unsynchronised.
European Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, stated that Europe must accelerate joint production and investment in security. Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius added that the five joint projects will improve the EU's military readiness and strategic autonomy, with a combined funding ambition of around €190 billion by 2036.
Separately, the European Commission has approved funding for five cross-border defense procurement projects under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIRPA), with €300 million allocated and individual projects receiving €60 million. These EDIRPA projects focus on air and missile defence, armoured vehicles, and ammunition, with a procurement value of €11 billion.